Carly and the Winter Soldier
by iapetus999
Summary: Carly's next assignment brings her face to face with the world's most wanted villain. Carly is a teenage Hydra agent with mysterious super powers. She wants to do evil, to take over the world, cause untold pain and suffering. When her power is revealed at last, it's not exactly the most terrifying. But can she use it to prevent the Enemy from capturing Bucky?
1. Chapter 1 - Carly

**A/N**: Yup, Carly's back! And this time, she's heading for a rendezvous with Bucky, The Winter Soldier.

For those of you who want to read more about Carly, check out her first story in Carly, Teen Hydra Agent.

_(Quick summary for those who want to get on with it-[spoilers for Carly, Teen Hydra Agent]- Carly is a secret Hydra agent, born into a family of Hydra agents. She has extra strength and healing ability, but she suspects she has more. Her very first assignment is to find out what she can about the governor's son Lance. Turns out Lance has some secret powers of his own, the power of a raging bull, but he can't control it. During the mission, Carly is discovered, and with the help of Larry, escapes, but not until after her so-called best friend Becky says she holds Carly's father so Carly must work for Becky now.)_

So this story is a little longer than the first but it's broken into 16 digestible pieces. There are tie-ins to Agents of Shield and X-Men at times. So basically whatever's Marvel.

Language/Content is PG, some mild sexual situations, but there is some serious violence at one point.

Of course I don't own Winter Soldier or any of the other Marvel characters mentioned within.

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**Chapter One**

Carly Richards stepped off her school bus into the squinty brightness of a warm Virginia afternoon. Bees buzzed among a nearby flower garden. Carly stopped to sniff, inhaling the scents of rose and lilac. Maybe life wasn't so horrible after that debacle at the Governor's Ball. Yeah, now she was a double agent, working both sides. She'd find a way through this. She had to.

A blue Prius zipped by, honked, and then stopped in front of Carly's house. _Becky_. Carly's former best friend. Now her handler. The weasel. Girl was way past high-school age, yet kept up the pretense like some TV cast member in season 8. The fake little—Carly checked her rage. No point to it. Becky would get what was coming. No one betrayed Carly and lived to brag about it. Well, maybe so far she had. But Carly often imagined offing the little turd.

Becky waved and smiled as if they were still besties. If Carly could just stop digging her nails through her palms. Fortunately, her super resistance to damage protected her from her super strength.

"Hey, girl," said Becky, her fake smile splitting her fake face. "It's time for our 'homework' date." She lifted her backpack that was probably filled with dossiers and interrogation equipment. Becky was going to try to get Carly to tell her everything—Carly's training details, her contacts in the Organization, her communication protocols. Forget it.

Carly eyed a rock just the right size for caving in skulls, but another school bus rumbled up, disgorging some elementary-school kids. A little girl led them off, holding a flower. Boys followed, teasing. They pushed the little girl, and she dropped the flower, exploding into tears.

"Hey!" Carly rushed over. The bullies spotted her and fled, but Carly had super-speed, at least more than any fifth-grader. She grabbed them, picked the runts up by their collars, and dragged them back to the girl who sat on the ground, squalling. "Apologize."

Carly shook the sniveling mutts.

"Sorry! Sorry!"

Carly pulled the boys' faces in front of hers. "Now get the hell out of here before I find out where you live and kill your mothers. You touch this girl again, and I will."

The bullies suddenly acquired super speed as they galloped away screeching.

Carly knelt next to the girl. "Hey, hey. It's going to be okay. They're gone. They'll never bother you again."

The girl continued to wail, tears wetting her face, the poor thing. "Flower L"

Carly picked up the broken stem and separated petals. "Maybe I can fix this." There was this scene from _It's a Wonderful Life_, where the dad pretended to fix a flower. Carly straightened the stem. Her fingers tingled a bit, some kind of strange energy. She glanced over at Becky, but the idiot was just standing there useless. When Carly looked back, the flower had straightened and grown another bloom, bigger than the first.

"Flower!" The kid grabbed it. "Flower flower flower!" She jumped and ran off.

Carly stared at the retreating kid, mouth agape.

"OMGerd," said Becky, walking over. "It's your power. You found your power. Do it again. Do it again!"

Curses. Seriously? If this was her power, did it have to show up in front of Carly's mortal enemy?

Becky said it first in a little sing-song: " You have Flower Power !"

Carly gagged. No. It couldn't be. An Agent of Evil did not have some kind of do-goodie flower magic. Becky ran to a small sidewalk garden and yanked off a few buds. "Here, do these. Come on."

Carly stared at the already wilting stems. "No."

Becky shook the bunch. "Do it. Now."

"Go bruise yourself." Carly crossed her arms. She was not Becky's trick pony.

"We have an arrangement. You do whatever I tell you or…"

Carly was about the shove the flowers down Becky's throat. It wouldn't be hard. But Becky held the cards, her organization held Carly's father hostage. Carly snatched the mess, looked at them, focused. Nothing. No tingles, no growth.

"What are you waiting for?"

Carly shook her head. "It's not working." She imagined Becky with flowers boring out of her eyes.

Curse Dad, rotting away in the Fridge or some other S.H.I.E.L.D. holding facility. Becky would pay. They all would pay. Carly'd find a way to screw the whole organization. Never trust anyone, especially those closest to you. Carly gripped the flowers.

"Whoa," said Becky. "Cool."

The bunch exploded in her hand, sending out shoots and flowers and leaves. Damn it. Flowers? Really? Why couldn't her power be ice rays or fire breath or lightning fingers? What the heck could she do with it? Bloom an enemy to death with allergies?

Carly stared down at her hands. At least it was a power. At least it was something valuable to someone. Maybe. The circus sideshow. Soon she'd have to join the League of Unremarkable Superheroes. Worst Superpower Ever.

Becky was picking up the blooms and studying them, putting them in her secret backpack with her dossiers.

Mom opened the front door of the house and waved to them. Carly hadn't breathed a word to Mom about being compromised. She couldn't. Mom would pack them up and move them away, and what would happen to Dad? This was her burden. Mom had her own missions to deal with.

"I gotta run," said Carly, moving toward her house.

"Wait. We need to talk about it." Becky waved a flower.

"Not today. Go home, Becky."

"Fine. But we're going to have that talk."

Becky shrugged her backpack on her shoulder, got in her car, and sped away.

Carly sighed. She picked up one of her converted flowers, sniffed the delicate fragrance, and then tossed it back on the sidewalk.

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**A/N** As usual, love any feedback you have! Reviews definitely welcome!


	2. Chapter 2 - Beef Boy

**A/N**: So Carly has Flower Power. I was trying to come up with something that seemed lame at first but then...well, you'll just have to read what happens.

If you get a chance, look up the song "Worst Superpower Ever" by the Doubleclicks. Was kind of inspired by that. And reviews! All the reviews! Thanks for reading. :)

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Chapter Two

Carly lay on her bed, staring up at the portraits of her favorites, Madame Hydra, Spider-Woman, Lara Brown. How could she ever hope to measure up to such heroes to the Cause by making flowers grow? She'd probably end up as some kind of spinster living in the forest surrounded with pet plants like they were her cats. She stuffed a pillow over her head and screamed into her mattress. Worst of all, that traitor Becky had seen it all, was probably reporting on everything.

If only Carly's father were here, he'd know what to do, how to use her flower power, but S.H.I.E.L.D. held him hostage. Carly dug her fingers into her pillow and ripped it in half, filling her room with tiny floating goose feathers.

Great, now Carly was Mad Feather Lady in addition to being Flower Spinster.

Her iPad [it wasn't really an iPad] buzzed and the LED blinked. An assignment? Carly dared not hope, but that light only blinked when the message was from HQ.

Carly dragged herself out of bed. Enough of this feeling sorry for herself. She still had the Cause, had her super strength. Whatever power she had, she had it for a reason, and it wasn't just to terminate pillows.

She brushed away the feathers and flipped open the cover, entered all the security protocols: she validated her ID with a finger print, eyed the camera for a retina scan, typed in her special code, and finally connected. Yup, an assignment. One of their agents had gone missing during the whole mess in DC a while back, she would be part of a recovery team. All hands on deck. Great.

The missing agent was called 'Winter Soldier', last spotted in the Virginia area. Carly was to join a team and do casual observation, no direct contact. She would meet the team tonight.

"So basically a BOLO," she said to herself. The mission profile contained few details, just a picture of a long-haired man with a bionic arm. Yawn. Nothing exciting, nothing dangerous. Well, as long as the agent wanted to be brought in. Sometimes people turned, and that never went well. Until recently, Carly had never imagined that someone could turn against the Cause, but when family was involved…

Carly glanced around her room. Her first assignment since being compromised, since finding her secret power. She'd have to tell Becky, that was the deal. No way.

Mom waited near the bottom of the stairs. Apparently, they'd notified her as well. "What do they want from you?" Mom eyed her nervously, a weird awkward wall up between them since Carly had started real assignments.

Carly shrugged. "Just surveillance. We meet tonight for parameters."

Mom sighed. "On a school night? I'll have to talk to someone."

Carly ached to ask Mom about her new powers, but she hesitated. It wasn't a deadly power, more like the Power of the Green Thumb. Mom would be disappointed.

Hell if she'd tell Becky any of this. Carly'd go out tonight, do whatever she needed, and be back for school in the morning. S.H.I.E.L.D. would never have to know. Isn't that what midnight meetings are for?

Her phone chirped. Number blocked. Wasn't Becky. "I need to take this." Carly ran back upstairs to her room.

"Yeah?" she said.

"Hey. It's me," said the voice, familiar. "You know, Beef Boy."

Carly heart squeezed. Lance Conrad, the Governor's son? How did he get her number? And why was he calling? Hadn't they told him who she was, who Carly worked for? Last she heard, they'd locked him up tight.

"Hey Lance. How's the meat industry?" He'd eaten some irradiated beef or something and acquired the powers of a bull. Dangerous, but it made him super beefy. She had a few pics of him downloaded onto her desktop.

"Can we meet? Tonight?"

"Uh…" Didn't feel like a trap. She'd already been exposed, and they wanted to keep Steak-boy protected. "I'm kinda busy tonight. You know, way behind in homework."

"Please. I don't know who else to turn to. You said you could help me, let me meet some of your people."

Carly swallowed, mouth suddenly dry. Kid was proposing something she was sure the governor would not approve of. "It's short notice, so I don't think I can get anyone to come out today to talk."

"What about just you then? Things have been getting…crazy."

Carly eyed her watch. The boy sounded stressed. "Sure. But nothing late, I've got to study." Or go on a secret mission. Well—two missions now.

"Okay. Where's a good place?"

Carly ticked off the name of a Richmond diner. After closing the call, she went to her desk, found the slip of paper with a number on it, and dialed.


	3. Chapter 3 - Flowers

**A/N:** Okay a small diversion here, but it sets up some things for later on. Hope you're enjoying things!

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**Chapter Three**

"Isn't it a little early?" asked Mom when Carly walked through the kitchen wearing hip-hugging jeans and t-shirt. Carly had thrown on a Nationals baseball hat and stowed some gear in her school-logo backpack.

"Oh, there was an opening in a class, figured I'd get in an extra workout." Carly sort of hated lying to her mom, sort of relished it. Mom would know what kind of class—Martial Arts for 'Supers.' You had to avoid schools where you could accidently kill your instructor.

"Just don't be late to the meeting." Mom stood there holding a towel and a plate.

They stared awkwardly at each other. Carly has overheard Mom one night, screaming in the phone about how Carly wasn't ready for missions, how dare they use her. But the Organization had lost so many recently, they had no choice. They'd send her on the low-risk jobs, but to be honest, they were all dangerous…deadly dangerous.

But Carly had learned one thing lately…she was a commodity, sought by both sides. Who knew? Maybe she was the next Viper or Jean Gray. Ha. Except she had no interest in working for S.H.I.E.L.D. or training with the X-Men (if Professor Xavier really existed…she had her doubts). She was Hydra through and through.

Mom threw Carly the keys to the Jaguar. "Be safe, and know your limits. If you get in over your head, know your outs. And if they asked for something you're not comfortable with—"

"Mom! Yes, I will."

Mom cared more about Carly than the Cause. Technically, that was a liability. It still felt good, though, that Mom cared. Sometimes. Sometimes it was annoying. Carly had to prove herself, take risks.

Carly stepped into the garage, opened the car door, and threw in her bag. She blew out of the garage as the 12-cylindar car purred under her like a lioness. After a quick jaunt through the streets, she threw it onto the interstate while a light mist kissed the windshield. 70, 80, 90. The car had all the best anti-radar and anti-lidar equipment, but they could still track via airplane. Not in this rain. Carly floored it, hitting the HOV lane at 120, while she cranked the radio to distortion, singing along, the blood in her veins singing too. Damn it was good to get out of the house, and thoughts of Lance…Mr. Throw People Through Walls…Mr. Governor's Son…Mr. Hunky Beef…Mr.—crap, a car! Barely missed. Carly shook her head to clear it. Focus.

She zipped the car off the exit, almost on two wheels, blew through a few lights until she decided to slow. She parked a couple blocks away from the diner. The rest of the way would be on foot, following protocol to lose any tails, although how could anyone could follow her crazy driving without exposing themselves? Nope, no one around.

Just before she got to the diner, Carly passed a flower shop, still open. She checked her watch. All that highway zooming had gotten her here way early. The window glowed with all sorts of cut flower arrangements, roses and tulips and carnations in a riot of colors. Carly stood at the glass, peering at all the different varieties. She knew so little about flowers. Might be a good thing to start learning. She checked the street once more, and then ducked in, door chimes announcing her entrance.

The place stank like a perfume factory, but it was all from the flowers that littered the place. A pudgy woman stood behind the counter near a row of refrigerator cases. Her back was to Carly and she was talking on a cell phone in plaintive tones, something about bills or payments. Whatever. Carly walked along the rows of potted orchids and geraniums. She found a section in the back with seedlings and some older plants that looked like they were neglected and dying. She touched one of the drooping plants, waited for that tingling in her fingers, and it grew back into its lustrous self, full of blooms and foliage. A shiver crept along her back.

"Hey," came a terse voice. "What are you doing back there?"

Carly whipped around. It was the florist, green bib and planting gloves. "Just looking."

"Where are my plants? What did you do?"

She shoved past Carly, looked through the pots. "I had everything arranged. Where did this one come from?" She pointed to the plant Carly had regrown. "Put it back where you found it."

Carly stood there, unsure.

"Are you dumb? I work and slave in this place and I don't need some kid messing everything up." She grabbed the plant, but her fingers failed, and it fell to the floor, branches cracking. "Dammit!" The woman literally fell to the floor herself, sobbing. "I can't take it anymore. I can't do my job anymore. I'm going to lose this place. They're going to come in here, check the books, and take all of it away."

Awkward. This woman was obviously at her end, plant shop failing or something. She sat there on the ground, sniffling almost as bad as the little girl had after school. This was a little harder to fix than a broken flower.

Carly knelt down. "It's okay. Maybe I can help."

"Can you fix arthritis? I can barely cut flowers anymore, and nothing I take helps." The woman clenched her fists, just barely.

"No, but maybe I can help around the shop. I've been sort of getting into flowers lately, I want to learn more. I can only do some nights and weekends, but anything would help, right?" And maybe she could practice her new power when no one was looking.

The woman sat on the floor and sniffled. Carly wrapped her arm around the woman and admittedly used a bit of super strength to help her get back up. Carly picked up the plant, fixed it while the woman was recovering her composure, and turned to her. "I like this one. What's it called?"

The woman stared at it. "I…I didn't know this plant even bloomed. Where did you find it?" She touched a pink spikey bloom as if she couldn't believe it was there.

Carly thumbed to the back. "In the corner."

"Well, let's put it up front. I'm sure someone will want a blooming Fiddle Flower. What's your name, child?" She held out a hand.

"Carly Richards." Carly took it, felt the knobs in the fingers, the poor woman.

"I'm Mary Smith. Come, bring it over here." They found a nice stand right in the window. Mary found a label gun and doubled the price of the plant. "There."

"So when can I start?"

Mary sighed and eyed Carly. "I can't pay you much, just the minimum. But we have a couple holidays coming up, I could use the help. I only ask two things: show up on time, and no drugs. And no funny business. Can you do Thursday?"

Carly wondered if making plants grow unnaturally constituted funny business. "Sure, what time?"


	4. Chapter 4 - Beef Boy

**A/N**: Hope you're enjoying. Lots more of these characters in future episodes. Setup, setup, setup...

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**Chapter Four**

Carly still arrived a minute or two early to the diner. She'd taken off her hat and put up a couple flowers in her hair. She settled on a stool at the counter. The place was one of those converted train cars with a long counter and a row of narrow booths. A strain of 50's music filtered through the PA. A dude in a soda-jerk hat leaned over her as she pretended to study the menu while watching the exits.

"What'll you have? Coke or Poisoned Coke?"

Carly looked up into the soda-jerk's face and smiled. "Larry. You made it."

Larry had rescued her from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s clutches, gave her his number. Not for dating, though—Larry played for the other team. "How could I turn down such an interesting off-book hookup?"

Carly wasn't stupid enough to agree to a meet without backup. Larry probably had handed the owner a few bills and offered to close up. "Okay. He'll be here in a few. No agenda. Just watch for others. What's the signal?"

"I'll leave the paper on the tip of the straw. Back exit at your 11 if you need it. I'll cover."

Larry made to move away, and Carly grabbed his wrist. He winced.

"Sorry." She relaxed her fingers, looked up to him. "Something happened to me today. Something strange. If we have time after, I could use an ear."

Larry nodded. He tossed his hair that crept out of his hat. "Sure. Your 4." He motioned to the door. Someone approached. Carly stared at her menu and at the door at the same time.

Lance. Short wavy hair, broad shoulders, face of a young Greek god. He stepped in, glanced at Carly with a relieved smile, glanced back outside, and then closed the door with a jingle.

He stepped to the next stool, sat, extended his hand. "Thanks for seeing me," he said. They shook awkwardly.

"No problem. Did anyone follow you here?"

Lance shook his head and shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't see anyone. Bitch getting out though. I'm sure they're already looking." He studied the diner. "Is this place safe?"

"As safe as any." Carly followed his looks. A couple sat in the far booth, playing Candy Crush or something on their phones. Larry busied himself with dishes. Lance's looks ended at her chest, then he glanced away with a small blush.

"So," she asked. "What are you here for?"

Lance's gaze returned. He breathed in and sighed, shook his head, like words were stuck up there. "Do you even know how beautiful you are?"

Carly would rather he rammed her through a wall again than speak that. Embarrassing. "Great to know."

"No, really."

Carly looked away. She didn't want to think of herself like that, thrilling as it was to hear. She had way too many real issues to deal with, boy stuff just would get in the way.

She couldn't help herself. She should change the conversation, keep on topic, but the only word that came out was, "yeah?"

"Everyone at the ball was looking at you, talking about you. And then I find out you have super powers too." His eyes kind of devoured her.

Carly almost slapped his face. "Keep your voice down!"

"Sorry."

Carly glanced around the diner. So much for low profile with Beef Boy running wild. "Did you come to talk about something? Or is this just your way of getting a date?"

"Date? No, um. I mean, not that I wouldn't, I just…" Lance closed his eyes and caught his breath. Okay, so he was cute, and the whole stumbling things was nice, but she didn't have time for this. "They want to take me somewhere. They called it a vault or fridge or something. To develop my powers."

Carly nodded. "I figured."

"I…I almost hurt someone. I did hurt someone. The other day. Not as bad as you. Worse, actually. An officer. I dislocated his shoulder. I didn't mean to."

Carly pressed her hand on top of his, watching the pain cross his face. He might not have the stomach to handle super powers if he'd fall apart over an injured guard. "Listen, Lance. You're a special person now. People will be coming after you. They will want to control you, use you."

"People like you?"

That stung. "Hey, you called me." She withdrew her hand. "But yeah. We're interested. Please don't tell me you think you can hide from this. But look at my situation, I'm living out in the world, not hiding in some secret camp. We'll let you live your life."

"And in return…?"

"I'll be honest. It's not all roses." Except for Carly's powers, maybe. "We'll ask you to do things, make sacrifices, do stuff you may not want to. But in the end, you'll have everything you've ever wanted, money, power, control. You want to go into politics like your dad, we can help."

"Anything I want?"

He stared straight at Carly. A nervous tick crept up her shoulders. Was Lance playing her with this scared kid routine?

A soda cup tapped the table next to Carly. "Here's your Coke," said Larry.

"I didn't order—" Carly noticed the paper still on the end of the straw. "Oh, thanks." Someone was coming. Carly eyed the front door, nerves kicking in. Through the glass, she spotted movement. She tensed to spring into action when she noticed a head full of frizzy hair.

Becky pushed in, chiming the door. "Carly? What the heck? What are _you_ doing here?"

Carly had a couple throwing knives in easy reach and thought about burying them in Becky's throat.

Becky just strode up and sat right next to Lance who looked confused. She held her hand up to him. "Remember me? From the ball?"

He shook it tentatively.

"What brings you kids out on a night like this?"

Knives. Must…resist. Carly thought quickly. "Well, we were kinda on a date." She held Lance's hand. Lance's jaw dropped.

A flash of anger lit Becky's face. "And you didn't tell me, your best friend? What kind of a best friend are you?"

"It was last-minute."

"Fine. Don't tell me anything. See how your dad likes it."

Carly's fingers crept toward the knives but she pulled them back. No, she'd strangle Becky with her bare hands.

"What is she talking about?" asked Lance.

"Nothing," said Becky. "I think one of us has homework to do. It's already pretty late. You'd better go, Lance."

Fortunately, Lance took the cue. "Yeah. Good seeing you again, Becky. Carly—

"Have a nice night."

Lance actually leaned in and kissed Carly's cheek. What the hell? Just to piss Becky off, Carly snatched Lance's head, and pressed her lips to his. "Night," she said in his ear and let him go. Lance sort of stumbled to the entrance, eying Carly the whole time, slipped out the front door and disappeared into the night.

"OMGerd," said Becky. "You are so in trouble. When the Governor finds out—

"He won't."

"There are always little birds…"

"Little birds fly into windows and break their necks."

Becky smiled. She eyed Carly's head. "I like what you've done with your hair. Flowers. Nice."

Carly touched the stems in her hair.

"So," said Becky, "if you ever contact Lance again—

Carly stuck a finger in Becky's face, suddenly unable to breathe. "If you harm one hair on his body, the deal's off. I find that you've taken him anywhere he doesn't want to go or done any weird experiments, you'll have to answer to me."

Becky slapped the finger away. "And what exactly will you do? Throw a bouquet at me? Nice power, by the way. Listen, Richards, this is the last time you ever breach our agreement. Once more, and I will show you live video as we hook your father up to an experimental new kind of Taser that's about ten times more painful. Do you understand me?"

Carly swallowed. She glanced to Larry who looked busy flipping burgers but she could tell he was listening to the whole thing. He'd now know she was compromised. He made no moves, though.

Carly looked at Becky and imagined pulling out all those frazzled hairs one at a time. "Fine. I've got a meeting tonight. All I know is that we're supposed to track down an agent that's gone missing." She'd rather just take her knives and rip out her own intestines with them than betray the Cause.

Becky smiled, the bitch. "Good. Already knew that. Thanks for playing. After the meeting, you report to me everything that is said. And if you locate this missing agent, you tell me first. We want him too."

Wait—that meant that S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't have whoever they were looking for. The search wouldn't be fruitless. Becky had just spilled some critical information.

"Fine. Done. Now get the hell out of my sight so I can eat my burger in peace."

Becky huffed, slid off the chair, and walked to the door. "Okay, Flower Girl. We'll be watching."

Larry waited a few minutes before approaching Carly who stared a hole in the counter. "Hey."

Carly could barely look at him. "I can explain. Kind of."

"No need. I heard what she said about your dad."

"Are you going to tell anyone?"

Larry leaned in. "I got your back, don't worry about it."

Carly looked up at him, her eyes searching his. "I just need to find where they have my dad, then I can end all this, and they will suffer. I swear I'll make them pay." Rage shivered her fingers.

"Damn right you will."

Carly smiled. "Thanks. I sense you might want in on some action. But can I ask why you'd do this for me?"

Larry put down the towel he'd been holding. "At the ball, you talked to me like I was somebody, like I mattered, and I was just some stranger to you. You didn't judge. You know how tough it is to be a non-white gay guy in an organization founded by Nazis? And then just now, with your father…I wouldn't want to be associated with anyone who would sell out their own father for the Cause. You're doing what you have to do."

"Thanks for understanding."

Larry eyed her hair. "So, what's up with the flowers?"

"How about you get me that burger already, and I'll tell you everything. Double-cheese, everything but no pickle, medium-well, with fries, and maybe one of those Poisoned Cokes you mentioned earlier."

"Coming right up, ma'am."


	5. Chapter 5 - Secret Lair

**A/N**: It's hard being part of an evil organization. Just saying.

* * *

**Chapter Five**

Carly sat in the car, working on her mask. Everyone wore a disguise to meetings. All super villains needed some kind of evil identity. She looked at her Wild Bird outfit with the beak and feathers. No, she needed flowers, not stupid feathers.

"Ooh, I know. My villain name could be 'Poison Ivy'!"

Nah. The thought made her skin itch. Wait—weren't there some seriously dangerous plants out there? Hmm, wild mushrooms, hemlock. Lady Hemlock? Meh.

"Venus Flytrap? Wait—wasn't he a TV DJ?"

Carly googled some names. "Clematis? Sounds like a disease. Buttercup? As in, Princess Buttercup? No way." Iris, Lily, Wisteria, barf, barf, barf. "I might as well call myself Dandelion or Poppy. Hmm, Poppy. That's bad-ass. Heroin comes from poppy seeds. Lady Poppy. Poppy Girl." Carly shook her head. "The Poppy Avenger." That sounded better. She was definitely going to avenge whoever was responsible for capturing and holding her father.

"Poppy Punk." Yeah. That would lead to some wild styles. Wait 'til she told Becky—

Farts. She wasn't going to tell Becky anything. It was like a Band-Aid she kept ripping off. She had no one to talk to…no one except Larry, and Larry was off the military in a couple weeks. Of course Quantico wasn't too far away, but how would Larry have time for a kid still in high school?

Well, there was Beefy Boy, but he was afraid of his own shadow. Carly was sure he'd grow out of it, but he was super busy with his own issues. Mom? Well, Mom was Mom. She didn't like to talk about stuff. About anything, for that matter. Just do your work, she would say. Don't ask questions.

So Carly donned her mask, spoke the password, did the whole finger print and retina scan at the door, and entered the Secret Lair.

Inside was the usual menagerie of masked villains. She recognized a bunch from Evil Camp as she called it. They gave her the stink-eye, still sore from her graduation pranks. Whatevs. No Larry, though. Not sure if she was surprised or concerned. She'd never even mentioned the meeting to him, just assumed he would be there, and they could snicker in the back over Becky. But no one had the build or the hair, even given all the masks. Curses.

They started the presentation, a PowerPoint slide show on this missing agent, code-named 'Winter Soldier.' Previously, he'd been top-secret. Carly scratched her head at some of the details. Born in the 1920's, used for super-soldier tests to duplicate what had been done to Steve Rogers. Except Winter Soldier had a mechanical arm. Sort of like what the first cyborg Steve Austin had back in the 70's. (The astronaut, not the wrestler). Looks like Winter Soldier had it first. Carly thrilled at learning all this previously hush-hush stuff. She wondered what other secrets Hydra held. Yeah, she had zero clearance now, only need-to-know stuff, but after a couple years, once she'd proven herself, she'd find out. She'd learn everything.

If she could just get away from stupid S.H.I.E.L.D. All this was great, but she was betraying the Cause just by sitting here, just by knowing she'd have to blab all of it to fat-head Becky. Maybe she could just turn Becky in a bouquet and be done with it. Too bad her powers didn't work that way. Maybe. Curses.

Blah blah, Team A, Team B, territory, search pattern, contact protocols. Carly yawned big, glad her mask covered it. It was warm in here, she was up way past her bedtime, and she really didn't want to take stims and get all wired up.

She jerked back awake when a guy in welding goggles dumped a heavy backpack into her lap. Standard gear: pistols, flares, grenades, Tasers, secure comm including something like Google Glass, and clothes. All she'd have to do was to be the "man-on-the-street" and radio things in.

Except they wanted her to dress like a prostitute. Wha? She pawed through the bag. Fishnets, bimbo wig, micro-skirt, five-alarm lipstick. Was Winter Soldier some kind of perv? Or was it some lech in the organization who dreamed this up? Who made up these missions, anyways? A flying hydra in a spaceship?

Carly sighed. Maybe it would work. No one would see her as a threat. But it was crap. She was a highly-trained operative. Well, everyone has to start at the bottom, and she hadn't really proven anything yet. Just another test or something.

Mission briefing complete, she headed home to wait for the go sign.


	6. Chapter 6 - School

**A/N**: Welp, here's the shortest chapter eva.

* * *

**Chapter Six**

Of course Becky had to corner her at Armstrong High, demanding all the details.

"Seriously?" she laughed. "You're going to be a hooker? Wait—a flower-girl hooker? Ha ha."

Carly visualized taking the carnation in her hair and shoving in down Becky's throat, then making it grow until Becky puked flowers. Bad enough she had to tell Becky everything, she didn't need the commentary.

"You had better send some me some pics in your special 'outfit.'" She air-quoted.

"That's not part of our deal. You want pics, you come stand a corner with me."

"Oh, get over yourself, Richards. I'm sure you'll be under our surveillance the whole time. Here. You'll need to wear this extra earpiece for us." She handed Carly a small plastic case while looking up and down the hall. Carly took it and shoved it into a pocket.

Becky turned and walked down the hall with a wave. "Toodles."

Carly and her associates would do all the work to track down Winter Soldier, then Becky's team would swoop in and grab him. What a sucky suck-fest.


	7. Chapter 7 - Alexandria

**A/N**: Okay last scene before Carly encounters you-know-who. This scene's a little risqué but Carly's a trooper.

Be sure to tune in tomorrow for the big Encounter. ;)

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

Alexandria. A street corner. A buzz of intel scrawled on her glasses. Carly missed wearing her electro-contact lenses, replacements still on order. What kind of streetwalker wore glasses? Her stockings went barely above her knee and her micro-skirt ended so high that half her butt floated in the breeze. The wig itched, and the makeup wasn't much better, especially the giant lashes. Her boobs were lashed together like sails against a storm, and the scent she'd sloshed on stunk like store full of rotting flowers. This was the last time she'd agree to do this kind of detail. But she was an operative, not some four-eyed techie or a pencil-pushing bean counter. She'd trained for this kind of thing. Sort of.

A couple other working girls approached, older, skinny, and smoking cigarettes. "Hey," said the tall one. "What the hell? You're a kid. Go back home to mommy."

Carly wrapped her arms around her chest. "I'm old enough."

"Sure you are. You ever been out here before? You even know what to ask for?"

Damn, they were going to out her, and she'd been on the corner for like 2 minutes. First rule in hostile territory—don't argue. Engage. "Please don't make me leave. He'll beat me if I don't stay out here. All I need's a couple hundred. Do you think I can get that?"

The women snorted and shrugged.

"Sure, kid. Sure. You do know what to do, right?" The women made some obscene gestures with her hands and hips.

"Yes, of course I know." Well, she'd seen a video. Once, at a party when the parents were gone. Creepy. Wasn't any real kissing, just…stuff that made her feel weird. Definitely not the same feeling she got around Lance, not warm fuzzies. She might be an agent of evil, but not a loose agent of evil. Even the Evil have morals. Some do, anyways.

After a while of staring at traffic and eying all the pedestrians for signs of the missing Hydra agent, a luxury car scooted up, low and long and black, and the window slid open. "Hey," said the man inside, beckoning to Carly. "You want to party? I got $200 here if you want a good time."

Carly felt ill. "Uh, no thanks."

"Hey, get your ass in here. My money not good enough for you?"

Carly eyed the man, itching to find her knives. A sudden feeling took over, one she hadn't felt in a while. With all that had gone on, Becky's betrayal, finding out about Dad, maybe it was time for some fun. She could spare a couple minutes; Alexandria looked like it was a dud.

Carly cracked a smile and leaned into the open window, giving the man plenty to look at. "It's just not enough for me. A thousand and you get to do whatever you want." She licked her brightly painted lips. Awkward. What the hell was she doing?

The man eyed her hungrily. "Fine. Get in."

Carly shook her head. "First show me the money."

The man hesitated until Carly ran a finger along her neckline. He produced the bills.

"And secondly, I drive."

"What? Get lost."

Carly nibbled a finger for a second, swayed. "Huh? I'm just feeling so hot. I can take you places."

"Dammit." The man got out, went to Carly's side, eying her like a dog eyes steak. Carly skipped to the driver's side and jumped in.

"Ready?"

She put the car in gear and slammed the gas, ripping through the streets of Alexandria.

"Hey you stupid cow, slow down!"

Carly careened through the streets, blowing past cars and through red lights, skidding around corners, a wicked smile plastered to her face.

"Jesus Christ! You maniac."

"You listen to me, perv. You ever go out and pick up a girl off the streets again, I will cut off all your knobby parts. Now let this be a lesson to you." She aimed the car at a light pole and hit it square with a huge crunch of broken glass and shattering metal. Airbags exploded, and Carly's knees still slammed the dashboard in a jolt of pain.

The car hissed, steam billowing from the hood. She rubbed her knees, willed the pain to subside. Carly looked to the man who seemed pretty out of it, blood coming down his face. She found the bills he'd promised her and stuffed them in her top. Not that she needed the money, but he didn't. Dude actually didn't look good at all, kinda breathing in short, gurgley gasps. Carly put a hand on his shoulder. "You gonna be okay, mister?"

He inhaled, breathed in a little more normal. His eyes fluttered open and he nodded in a daze.

Carly kicked her door open, heard the distant wail of sirens. She turned back to the man, cuffed him in the chin to get his attention. "Now listen up. Any more of this nonsense out of you and you'll have to answer to—"

Quick, think of a name. What was it again?

"—to Wild Flower. Got it?" Ug. No, it was supposed to be Punk Poppy! Something?

He nodded again, eyes wide.

Carly jumped out the car, found where she'd stashed her glasses, and read up the latest reports while she half-ran-half-limped back to her original position a few blocks away.


	8. Chapter 8 - Winter Soldier

**A/N**: Well, we're past the half-way point now. Trigger warning for violence.

Finally we see what all the build-up was about.

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

The streetwalkers were still there when Carly returned. "That was fast," said one wearing gobs of makeup.

Carly eyed them. "He tried to stiff me. Don't get in a car with that guy."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," said the tall one. "You've got a lot to learn."

Carly turned away from them and watched an ambulance scream by. "Yeah." Tall Prostitute had a point. Carly couldn't do surveillance when she was attracting all this attention. Ridiculous idea. Enough. She walked over to the alley where she'd stashed her bag, and quickly changed back into jeans and a t-shirt. Hopefully, no one saw her. She dumped the wig and the clothes in a bin and yanked on her Nationals hat. She walked back to her corner, backpack on her back this time.

"Now what, hitchhiker?"

Carly sighed. "Okay, fine, I'm a runaway. But I'm going to stand here on this corner and too bad if you don't like it."

The women shrugged. Carly kept up her watch as day turned to night, her feet getting sore and the straps cutting into her shoulders. Her knees had improved but still ached from the wreck. Her super powers were great for repairing hard impact, not so good for helping with long-term stress. She found a nearby bus shelter and sat there for a bit. Bah. A stake-out was the most boring thing ever. No chatter on the comms, nothing to do but sit and watch a street corner. Didn't they have all kinds of cameras nowadays? Satellites? Drones?

Carly was busy watching pedestrians and didn't think much of the black cars that stopped across the street. Men with dark suits and sunglasses emerged, and it was way past dusk. Carly munched on an energy bar and sipped some warm, stale Coke from a bottle.

"Uh, oh," said one of the hookers nearby. "Let's skedaddle. Those are the Bruiser Boys. Most likely they're just looking for someone they can beat up."

Carly eyed the men who crossed the street on both sides of her. Her gaze settled on a figure on the far side of the street. Right height, long hair, right arm hidden. When he walked, he stuck to the shadows. Could it be? Carly pressed a tab on her glasses. "Possible contact, my location, on foot heading south."

A man emerged from one of the black cars, a bandage on his head, walking on crutches. Curses. The dude from the car wreck.

"You'd better run," yelled a streetwalker before she sprinted away.

Too late. Carly was surrounded by mean-looking walking hams, all muscle and bone.

Her victim crutched over to her, eyes glaring like a junkyard dog. "Well, well," he said. "Look what I found, on the same corner where I picked you up. You don't have many brains, do you?"

Shoot. The Winter Soldier suspect was still walking, crossing to the next block. She'd lose him in a second if these jerks didn't get out of her way.

Carly rose to follow the suspect. "I don't have time for this. You don't want this kind of trouble. Get back in your cars and go home."

The injured man came so close Carly could feel his breath on her. A large enforcer grabbed her arms from behind.

The bandaged man grabbed her chin. "It is going to be a great pleasure destroying you. Me and my boys, well, we have a thing for young girls like yourself. We particularly enjoy breaking them."

Carly admired the good old-fashioned evil in this gang, yet she didn't care much for those who would prey on the weak. Where was the skill in that? Why settle for the suffering of one when you could bring suffering upon millions? This man wasn't evil as much as he was just a bully. A bully with an organization of twenty or so tough guys, armed with clubs and automatic weapons.

"And do you want to know what I enjoy breaking?" she asked. "Legs."

Carly kicked back, thrust her arms up, threw an elbow right to the jaw, and suddenly it was raining batons.

They came at her swinging. A couple connected right to her head and she was down, boots kicking her in the gut and back and head, pain crying from every corner of her body.

She fought, swung and kicked, sometimes connecting. A particularly vicious club connected with her face and her nose cracked, a wave of pain screaming from her face and blood spurting out her nostrils. She could do little more than cover her head and curl up in a fetal position while the blows pounded her body. Carly screamed and cried but the clubs slammed the wind out of her. Arms grabbed her, ripped her shirt, pulled at her pants, right on the streets of Alexandria. Panic welled up inside, fear that she'd be hurt worse than anything she could repair, and the fact that she could withstand more abuse than most girls and survive…

A man screamed and fell heavily next to Carly, a blade jutting from his forehead. Another tumbled, his arm ripped off and squirting blood. Carly flipped over and watched as a being of might and rage flayed her attackers with inhuman speed and agility. Carly scrambled over to where her backpack had fallen, whipped out a gun, but by then, all the Bruiser Boys were either dead or running.

The newcomer held out a hand. A metal hand, dripping with blood. "Come if you want to live," he said in an almost-Terminator voice. Carly didn't need to asked twice. She gripped the hand, warm even though it was inhuman, hoisted her backpack on her back, and half-ran half-stumbled with him. Every part of her body yelled in pain, her face, her legs, her arms, her ribs. Blood and swelling clogged her nose, but with a start, she realized who her savior was.

The Winter Soldier led her into an alley, stopping in front of a relic of a car. "This one." He bashed the window, pulled the lock, opened the door, and helped Carly in. He scooted his head under the steering wheel and quickly hot-wired the car. In moments, the old engine chugged to life, and they were off.


	9. Chapter 9 - Escape

**A/N**: More Bucky! Thanks for all the follows/favorites! Would love to hear what you think!

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

Carly leaned back in the seat, trying to staunch the flow of blood from her nose. Her fingers didn't work right, stomped and cracked. Gargling cries barged out of her throat. Every sinew ached, her head pounded, and her heart shuddered.

"Which hospital do you want to go to?" asked the Soldier, navigating the streets swathed in orange sodium-vapor lights.

"No hospital," she managed to mumble through broken lips, a gush of blood, and a tooth that threatened to jump from her jaw.

"I figured as much. Your first fight?"

Carly curled in her seat, trying to soak into the vinyl. Fight? No. That was an assault. And she'd been helpless. She'd almost been—it was too scary to think about. "Yeah. Sort of. Thanks."

"Name's Bucky."

"I'm Wild Flow—" Forget that name for now. She hadn't earned it. "Carly. Just Carly." Everything hurt from her scalp to her socks. Her body trembled from the gallon of adrenaline that soaked her. Her head spun so hard she thought she would puke.

Bucky pushed the car onto the interstate. "Where to, then?"

Carly shrugged. Her eyes wouldn't focus long enough to see where they were going. "Somewhere safe."

"You got it."

The rode in silence in the Virginia night. Carly tried to press her nose back in place but it hurt too much to even touch. She had some morphine in her bag but she had to stay sharp. She pushed away the feeling of the batons cracking her ribs, of hands touching her, reaching into her clothes, of the pure evil of the men. She waved to Bucky.

"Hey, pull over."

Bucky steered it off the interstate, parked in the far side of a rest stop away from any lights.

Carly turned to him. "I neeb you to figs my nobes. I don't think it will heal until it's set right."

Bucky grinned. "Sure thing, miss."

They shifted in their seats.

Bucky placed his fingers on either side of Carly's nose. "Ready? On three. 1…" He pinched.

"Ahh!" But the pain was fleeting. Now Carly could touch her nose, rub it back even, feel the warmth of the healing. All the rest of her cuts and sores were already much better, her vision slowly returning to normal, but the fear, the shaking, not much could help that, no amount of distance was enough. She'd screwed up, her one minute of evil generating a wave of retaliation that had almost overwhelmed her. If Bucky hadn't helped…

"You're a healer," he said.

She tried to smile but couldn't. "I take a beating and keep on healing. Kind of a mini-Wolverine. You know, without all the adamantium and whatnot. No claws, either."

"Don't ever mention Logan around me," said Bucky, hate in his voice.

"Okay, sorry, not a big fan myself." Carly stared out the window into the dark, seeing her own battered face reflected in the dashboard light. She wiped the blood off her face with a sleeve, wondered how long her eyes would look so puffy and black. She'd never been beaten like this before, not in training or any time else. A rage grew in her, a desire to exterminate the Bruiser Boys, but she swallowed it. She had a mission, and she was lucky she hadn't completely blown it. Well, she most likely _had_ blown it.

Bucky put the car back in gear and returned to the highway. Soon the starkly lit monuments of D.C. approached, serene in the night. He pulled off in an industrial area and soon parked the car near a typical abandoned warehouse.

He came around her side to help her out, but she was already much better after an hour in the car, her clothes stiffening with her own blood. He led her to a sliding door and into the echoing warehouse, mostly empty with hulking shadows of machine relics. A single sodium lamp hang from the roof, providing the barest illumination. He showed her a set of rusting folding chairs and a leaning table.

"Hey," he said. "Tell me. Why were you following me?"

Oh…hell. Carly froze with a realization. She was in the middle of nowhere, without any chance of a rescue, at the mercy of this man who could dismantle her with the flick of a wrist. That's why he had helped her—so he could question her himself! Curse curse curse curse Curses!

"I just need to know which side you're on," he said, sitting in a creaking chair that barely held his weight.

Think, quick! "Well, given what you did for me back there, I guess I'm on _your_ side."

Bucky looked pensive, studied her. "Well, let's see. Either you have the power to look young, but somehow I think you _are_ actually as young as you appear. It doesn't really strike me that any organization would want a child on the street, at least no respectable organization. That leaves Hydra. They threatening your family? Promising you riches or powers? Tell me, kid, what do they have over you?"

Carly eyed him. "What are you talking about? I don't need that crap. I believe in the Cause."

Bucky rolled his eyes. "Oh God, you're one of those. A _believer_. That's what they've wrapped around you. A vision of the glorious future, where you use your powers to control the world."

Carly had no response. He'd nailed it. She kicked a pebble.

"So," he continued, leaning forward. "Let me tell you a little bit about Hydra. They took me, a loyal American soldier, and turned me into a monster. After every mission I did for them, they'd wipe my memories. I can barely remember a damn thing about my life before. They used me as their weapon."

Carly shrugged. "We all make sacrifices."

Bucky stood back up, a towering figure, and she was still half-beaten to death. Carly started looking for easy exits. This was not a conversation she wanted to have right now. "Would you sacrifice your life? Your memories? Would you betray every friend you've ever had? Would you let your body be injected and probed and experimented on?"

Carly breathed. "Did you not just witness what I'm willing to do? What would you do if they captured your father and tortured him? Because that's what S.H.I.E.L.D. did to me. So don't preach to me about who the bad guys are. I'm sorry about what happened to you. Take your revenge out on me if you want, but don't forget that Hydra isn't alone in these practices. We do what we have to, just like everyone else."

Bucky stepped close, eyes hard, his face a mask. Carly wished she hadn't said anything at all. She was pretty much at the mercy of this man/machine. She backed up a step, ready to run, her legs still wobbly and weak from the assault.

"So, what are you?" he asked.

"Um…a girl?"

"Your powers. What did they do to you?"

Carly shook her head. "I wish I knew. But I've always had them. I heard there was some kind of serum when I was a baby, but…"

Bucky scratched the stubble on his chin. "Could be similar to what they gave me, but to give that to an infant…"

Carly didn't want to tell him about her flower power. "If it makes any difference, I believe in the Cause, but I don't necessarily believe in all the tactics. Why we would turn you into a weapon when there are so many willing people, or people like me…"

"And your mission today. What it is?"

Carly stepped behind a chair, putting it between them, waiting for him to sit back down. "I was just a spotter. That's all. No engagement. We shouldn't even be talking."

"So then who was trying to drive your skull into the pavement?"

Carly looked away. "A man was harassing me on the stakeout so I stole his car and wrecked it…with him still in it. I guess he's angry about it."

Bucky smiled, and settled down to his seat. "Yeah, you're definitely a kid. And not the smartest. So, Miss Carly, what now? Will you turn me in? And to who?"

Carly bristled, but he was right. She wasn't thinking. She was about to respond when Bucky held up his hand.

Carly heard it too.

Choppers.


	10. Chapter 10 - Attack

**A/N**: Supervillainy ain't easy.

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

Bucky jumped to his feet and pushed the hair from his face. His eyes scanned the warehouse. His gaze returned to Carly as she shouldered her backpack. "What do you have in there?"

Carly grabbed the straps. "What do you think?"

"I think that if you're not sure who's coming, you'd better show me so we can defend ourselves. Come on, we don't have much time."

Carly hesitated, eyed him. He didn't need any weapons to take her out, so what difference did it make? She dumped the contents on the table, handguns, knives, various grenades, a med kit, her wig.

Bucky lifted the wig and eyed her. Carly shrugged. He tossed it aside, grabbed a couple of the grenades. He grabbed a small box. "Why do you need med kits?"

"It's not for me." Just a couple serums if she ever need to interrogate someone.

Bucky opened it, saw the syringes inside, and then threw it into a dark corner. "Garbage."

"Hey!"

He looked at her with deep, soulful eyes. "Live a life hooked up to machines and drugs and you'll understand. Come." He motioned for her to follow.

"Wait—you want me to come with you?"

"Just help me get away."

She was about to answer 'why should I?' until she realized…she owned him for getting her out of that scrape with the Bruiser Boys. Cause or no Cause, she wasn't going to abandon him. If what he said was true, maybe he'd served the Cause enough. Just as long as he didn't turn against them. That's where she would draw the line.

Or maybe she was just being fickle, fawning over a man who was probably old enough to be her great-grandfather. He didn't look old, though, but something in his eyes spoke of age. He'd seen a lot, been through hell.

"Fine. Just don't get me killed."

They split the rest of the weapons up while the drones of copters and now sirens drew closer. Carly figured it was something Becky had given her that was sending out a homing signal. In the rush to escape the Bruiser Boys, she had grabbed everything, not thinking.

Bucky led her to a side door, poked it open, and received a hail of bullets for his trouble. He led Carly on a wild romp through the warehouse. Somewhere behind them, a door blew open. Even with her enhanced speed, Carly could barely keep up with the man, definitely more powerful than her. She still hadn't recovered from her beating, legs and knees sore and tired. At least she didn't carry that heavy backpack anymore.

They sprinted up a rickety metal staircase while the ceiling behind them burst open, men on ropes spilling in. A quick glance revealed black commando suits, but who knew whose side they fought on. Besides, they were firing, bullets whistling uncomfortably close to her head. Even with her powers, a well-place shot would be the end. At least that's what she'd always been told. She didn't care to find out for sure. "Crap!"

They found a small sheltered area with thin walls. "We're trapped," she said, looking to the man who paced like a caged animal. He faced the outer wall, rapped on it lightly.

"Help me with this." He pointed to some large metal relic, some kind of machining tool. "Lift this and send it through the wall. Hurry."

Bucky grabbed one end, Carly the other. They lifted, crying out from the effort. The machine probably weighed half a ton. Carly had never done much weightlifting, didn't really want to know how much of a freak she was, but this thing was solid.

But Bucky was more than a freak. "Now, through the wall."

Her arms strained and hurt, her back quivered, her fingers screamed, and her legs threatened to collapse, but they heaved the thing to the wall and punched a hole straight through. "Jump!"

They ran to the hole and careened out, and suddenly Carly was in the air, three stories above hard pavement. The ground rose up to meet them. Carly landed hard, feet pained, and barely missed the tumbling machine ready to crush her.

Gunfire erupted around them. Carly huddled next to the mangled machine, willing her legs to stop hurting. Bucky peered down the alley. "This way."

They wove through a narrow back street cluttered with abandoned cars and dumpsters. Agents tried to tackle Bucky but he threw them against the wall. A hand caught Carly but she turned and punched its owner in the neck, her years of training kicking in. She had no idea what she was doing, who they were fighting, but in seconds, it became an exhilarating battle, guns blazing, knives flying, legs kicking. In truth, the Winter Soldier did most of it, Carly just covered his back, used him as a shield. They punched through the cordon and ran off into the D.C. night, chased by choppers, cop cars, and foot soldiers.


	11. Chapter 11 - The Park

**A/N**: Life's fun when everyone is out to get you.

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

Carly struggled for breath under a blossoming cherry tree, hands on her kness. They crouched in the middle of some park in the outskirts of D.C. "Did we _gasp_ lose them _gasp_?"

"For the moment." Bucky knelt behind a rock formation, studying the choppers that floated in the distance, piercing the morning light with search beams. Blue and red lights flickered in every direction.

Carly's gut curled and she almost puked. Her lungs burned. The festive trees seemed to mock her. Blood dripped down her arm and leg where shrapnel from a grenade had slashed her. Even Bucky held his human arm, nearly amputated from a blast. He couldn't hold anything in that hand.

"You _gasp_ alright?" she asked.

Bucky looked down at his shattered wrist. "I've had worse." He lifted his mechanical arm. Yeah, he'd seen some things.

"May I see it?" Her breathing calmed.

Bucky hesitated, but then offered his arm while scanning the area, park benches and garden paths, an urban oasis near the heart of America. Their weapons were spent, and only a blind run had led them out of the enemy's clutches…for the moment.

Carly examined the injury, an impact wound that had crushed the bones. He winced and gasped. "Sorry." She gently stroked the inflamed area. Tingles came from her fingertips. "Is this helping?" She rubbed her fingers over shattered bones and severed veins and snapped nerves, and willed them together, a warmth expanding from her fingertips.

"You…you can heal others?"

Carly shrugged. "I guess. I'd thought it just worked on myself. Do you want me to stop?"

"No, it makes the pain go away." Not that he had shown a heck of a lot of pain. His eyes were active, scanning the area.

Carly stroked his wrist while stealing occasional peeks at his face. It was strong, handsome, but without a trace of evil. She should hate the man, but she couldn't.

She knew what she had to do. She had to bring him in, somehow, but the men out there were trying to kill him, not capture him. Maybe that's what she should be doing, instead of healing him. She should use his injury to subdue him. There would be some seriously impressed higher-ups if she could accomplish that.

Carly sighed and looked up at the man. "If you want, I'll help you get away."

"Oh?"

"But you have to make it look like I didn't help you, that I was your prisoner. Break my arm or something. Then I'll lead them the wrong way."

"What about your Cause? Your loyalty to Hydra?"

Yeah. Carly looked down. This would be a betrayal, no matter how it looked. "What if you were to promise not to go after us? We're a family, you know. Strike one of us down, two may take their place, but it still hurts."

"I will not hurt you, Miss Carly. If you need some alibi, do it yourself. However, if you buy me freedom, I'll leave Hydra be if they don't bother me anymore. Can you do that?"

Carly nodded. "Yeah. I'll tell them you were desperate to return to us, but S.H.I.E.L.D. got you first. Then instead of focusing on destroying you, we'll focus on destroying S.H.I.E.L.D. It might work." Or something.

Bucky took his hand from her, flexed it, used it to pull the hair from his face. "Thank you. It's much better. You know you're crazy, kid. You got a nickname? A super name?"

"I'm toying with 'Wild Flower.'"

"Well, Wild Flower, what do you have in mind? How are you getting me out of here?"

Carly looked around at all the flowering trees.


	12. Chapter 12 - Wild Flower

**A/N**: Flower Power!

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

This wasn't going to work. Carly had no idea what she was doing, standing there right in the open, right in an open rotunda in the center of the park. Winter Soldier crouched among the bordering trees, eying the approaching agents. Each of her hands clutched sprigs of cherry blossoms. Bucky slipped out of sight while men approached, helmeted and hefting automatic weapons.

"Down on the ground," they yelled, aiming, red laser dots reflecting off Carly's chest and nose.

Carly stood there, waiting, shaking, wondering what the heck was she doing.

The men stopped. "Where's the Winter Soldier?"

"He wired me up, I can't move. Someone help me!" Sound desperate. Scared. Not really an act.

The men drew closer. "Where is he? Which way?"

"He's put some kind of device on me, rigged to explode, something to do with these flowers. Stay away!"

The men filled the central area of the park, talking on their walkies, eying the trees, shooing stray visitors.

The signal flashed out of the corner of her eye, just a glint of reflected sunlight. Bucky was clear. Maybe this will work. Maybe she could put her flower power to some use. She grabbed the springs. "Grow," she said under her breath. "Grow!" Time for the distraction.

Tingles crept from her fingers to the branches. The flowers began to multiply, pink bunches exploding along the twigs. The branches snaked around the rotunda, covering the structure with pink blossoms. Men shouted.

But it wasn't just the sprigs in her hands that grew. The trees in the park shimmered, every tree from which she had taken a cutting. Their roots pushed from the ground, tripping and snaring anything that moved, curling frantically. Branches reached for the skies, their blooms multiplying over and over until the trees blotted out the rising sun. The men cried out, fired randomly, but the sprigs had formed a protective ring around Carly.

Power flowed through her hands, warm, invigorating, healing her wounds. Like a flow of water, she pulled it from the ground and sent it to the trees. As she used her power, it grew, multiplied, fed on itself, as if she had just turned on some kind of cosmic spigot that let the flow of energy loose. Grass tickled her fingers, and she willed it to turn into a bamboo-like jungle. Seeds trapped under roads for decades now took root and split the pavement, chewing up the roads, yearning for the sky. Raw power grew and spread, down the streets, into buildings. Every tree grew wild, neighborhood parks suffered rampant overgrowth, memorials bubbled, potted plants writhed, cut flowers bounded, everything that could grow exploded into leaves and flowers and reached high over the buildings. The power filled her with light and exhilaration and deep intoxication, bordering on ecstasy. It flow from her in all directions, turning a good part of DC into a thick forest of impossibly high vegetation, a feeling she could not or would not stop, but at last, she closed her fists and cut off the flow.

Carly opened her eyes to a torrent of cherry blossom petals that snowed down on her from high above, turning the landscape pink. She stepped down from the crumbling, blossom-infest rotunda and walked past men encased in stems, some with roots driven through their skulls and guts. Somehow she didn't care, she couldn't right now, with the glow still pervading her body like a drug. She had a super power, and it was awesome. Incredible. Breathtaking. She just hoped that Bucky had somehow escaped all this.

The tumbling petals turned into a blizzard, covering everything with pink snow. Carly threw some up in the air and the petals rained down. She giggled while she picked her way out of the park. In every direction, trees towered over the landscape like silent monsters.

Carly had to walk a mile to escape the destruction, but whoever had been chasing Bucky, they must have evacuated when the trees took over. Oh well. Mission accomplished. Maybe not the one she'd signed up for, but Bucky was free.

* * *

**A/N**: Yeah, that's the last we'll see of Bucky in this story...but there's just a bit more story, including a surprise at the end. If you've liked it so far, keep reading, I promise a couple more interesting twists...


	13. Chapter 13 - Going Home

**A/N**: Time to face the music.

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

Hours later, Carly sat comfortably on a commuter train, dozing from the rhythm of the tracks. _Ka thump ka thump ka thump_. Armed agents entered the cabin, but roots started to grow from their feet, flowers burst from their eyes. They screamed in agony, plants ripping them apart from the inside. "No," she breathed, trying to reign in her power, gripping her hands. Men were screaming, dying. Bucky walked in, tendrils curling around his head, the plants ready to penetrate his skull.

"Stop." Carly reached out, trying to control the marauding plants. "Stop!"

Carly jerked awake, breathing heavily, lathered in sweat. She saw no plants, just an empty train car.

A presence sat next to her, topped with frizzy yellow hair. Carly breathed. Whatever had taken over her in the park, it…it was bad. She didn't even know whose side those men were on. She could have decimated her own team. Maybe even Larry was out there. The glow of power gone, the images of the men caught in her trap curled her stomach.

Becky glared. "What the hell happened out there?"

"Hey, Becky."

Keep calm. It's over. Carly looked down at her blood-crusted shirt, cherry blossom petals still sticking here and there. Somehow she wasn't surprised Becky had found her.

"Don't you 'Hey Becky' me. What happened? Where's the Winter Soldier?"

Carly looked around. Except for a couple guards at each end who she could easily overpower, they were the only ones in the car. How long had she been asleep? The landscape slipped by. They should be in Richmond in minutes.

Play it cool. "I was with him, Becky. You should have seen him fight. Bam, bam. Amazeballs."

"Well? What happened?"

Becky would get nothing. "He tried to interrogate me, but I wouldn't break. He took me to that park and tied some kind of device to me. Once he was at a safe distance, it detonated, some kind of plant bomb. Did you see those trees? Anyways, remember that thing I did with the flowers? I think that saved me. Everywhere those plants turned to monsters except right where I was." Yeah. Make her think that it wasn't her power at all, just a crazy weapon. A crazy weapon called Wild Flower.

"You didn't tell him anything about who you are?"

"Well, I told him enough to stop him from killing me, yeah. No names, if that's what you're worried about. Just that every organization, both public and secret, were after him."

Becky sat back in her seat. "Damn. We were so close. You led us right to him."

Carly's stomach squirmed. She had worn a tracker the whole time, never told him about it. Why hadn't she dropped it somewhere? She knew why.

Dad.

"Listen. I've done everything you asked of me. I nearly died for you out there, and I got beaten pretty bad. I know it doesn't show, but there was a grenade that almost shredded me. I want you to hold up your end of the deal. I want to see my father. Now."

Becky eyed Carly. "A lot of good men died today. A lot. Plus a bunch of people lost their homes and businesses to rampaging plants. Did Winter Soldier ever say why he was in Alexandria?"

Images of men with leaves puncturing their skin attacked Carly. A lot of men. Dead. It wasn't what she'd wanted to do with flowers, but in that moment, something had taken over. It wasn't rage or vengeance. It was pure…the only word Carly had for it was "evil." Something lived inside of her, something dark. Yeah, she'd dreamed all her life about it, wished for some kind of power, but now that she had it, she wasn't sure she liked it. Sure, maybe she could fool Becky. But someone would figure it out. Someone would know that it had been Carly, and want to use her power for their own ends.

The most terrifying thing was that she didn't even think that was the limit of it. There was more, lurking deep inside. She had to find out what it was, why she had it, and how to control it.

"No," she responded. "He isn't the talkative type. He discovered I was following him and he basically grabbed me so he could interrogate me and have a hostage. Haven't I been through enough?"

Becky pressed her ear and listened for a second. "Fine. You have a deal. You'll see your father in a few days. Arrangements need to be made. But first, every little detail you know about the Soldier."

Carly's heart leaped. She could see her father?

But what would he think of her, collaborating with the enemy?


	14. Chapter 14 - Flower Fail

**A/N**: Only 2 more scenes after this...but they're important...  
To answer a reviewer's question, alas, no Carly & Bucky in the near future...but there might be some X-men, or Avengers, or some other characters coming along.

Thanks for the follows and reviews!

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**

Carly slept for two days straight, only waking once to clear out the refrigerator and cupboard of whatever she could stuff in her mouth. Mom eyed her but said little. Yeah, after Becky was through, Hydra had their turn with endless questioning. Carly told neither of them about her power, of how she healed herself and Bucky, of how she could turn a lawn into a deadly jungle. She had to figure this thing out herself. She avoided the news, didn't want to see all the tearful memorials of the dead and the outrage over outlaw science gone amok.

She wanted to tell Mom, but what could she say? Hi, your daughter's a freak of nature or science or who knows. Besides, how much could she say without revealing her betrayals? All Mom knew is that her assignment had gone wrong, that maybe Carly wasn't ready for field work. That suited Carly fine. Enough of all the games. She had real powers, and if Hydra wouldn't use them, Carly surely would.

Carly finally dragged herself to school, so mundane as to be a welcome relief, where she could chat with her friends about clothes and the weather and how all these jerks and their powers should be locked up and never heard from again. How many people have to suffer before someone does something about the stupid supers? Why must the world be controlled by powerful idiots? Carly sank in her chair, hearing all the outrage over turning DC into a mega-forest bounce around her skull. Not that anyone would believe that a sixteen-year-old kid could do such a thing.

After school, she headed to the flower shop to start her job, which now seemed meaningless. Maybe she should just quit. Maybe being around flowers wasn't the best idea for her right now, too tempting, too dangerous.

Carly entered the shop and looked for the plant she had built with her powers. "Hi," she said to Mary. "Did you sell that plant I found?"

Mary put down the potted plant she had been tending. "Hi, Carly. No, it just died. Strange. One minute it's healthy, the next day I come in and it's withered."

Chills crept down Carly's back. "It died? Do you still have it?"

"Check the dumpster, maybe it's still there."

Carly went out back and flipped the lid to the dumpster. Her plant was still there, black and brittle. She touched it, tried to revive it, but no super power was bringing this plant back.

Carly walked back in, shaking. She pulled out her phone, clicked on a news site and looked up DC.

"Giant trees now dying, falling all throughout DC." She played a video. One by one, the towering trees crumbling, their falling branches smashing houses and cars, until finally a whole 20-story-tall tree collapsed to the ground in a cloud of dust like some scene from Avatar. They ordered a mandatory evacuation of the affected area, and called in loggers from the surrounding states to come in and cull the dying trees before they did more damage.

Carly stared along the plants and shrubs throughout the shop. Was it Flower Power, or was it the Touch of Death? She stared at her hands.

"Hey, are you here to work? You can start by watering. Hose is in the back closet."

Carly looked at Mary. "Yes, ma'am. Right away."


	15. Chapter 15 - Dad

**A/N**: So...what _is_ Carly? Hmm...

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

What must have been S.H.I.E.L.D agents in black hoods and goggles that covered their faces picked Carly up in a black SUV and removed all her devices, scanning her for more. They even took away her flowers in her hair. After the car began moving, the windows went black, so Carly had no idea where they traveled. They drove for hours, only stopping in a closed garage for a quick break. They could have driven in circles for all Carly knew or driven halfway across the country. She had nothing with her except tedious boredom, not even a Sudoku, and wound up worrying her nails to the nub, growing them back with her power, and then chewing them down again.

Finally, the car came to a stop and the engine turned off.

The door opened on a new set of guards, black-suited with mountains for shoulders, bristling with weapons, all in easy reach. Dumbasses.

They helped Carly out. She stood in a garage area, still no hint of where she was, SUV's standing, plates from various states, heating ducts and pipes lining the ceiling. The garage doors looked like solid walls, and she guessed they didn't lead outside. Probably some bunker somewhere, maybe WWII vintage, although whatever signage that had been here had been stripped away.

The guards waved her forward, guns ready with fingers on triggers, a thumb-click away from releasing a lead shower. Needless to say, there was no vegetation in sight, and she couldn't feel anything she could use her power on. She wondered if should start carrying packets of seeds, sort of a Jack & the Beanstalk thing. Fe Fi Fo Fum, I smell the blood of a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. She'd played a bit at Mary's shop, germinating seeds in minutes instead of days. If she used her power just a little, she could help things grow, repair damage, but once she pushed even a little too hard, the plants would wither and die.

So she just touched here, fixed there, made the cut flowers last longer, made blooms brighter. Nothing more than what a drop of fertilizer could do with time. Too much fertilizer, and plants die. Maybe her name should be "Fertilizer Girl", but after a moment's thought, she voted against that.

They didn't speak, but brought her down a long hallway with shut doors and flickering fluorescents, a couple guards on each side as if she was the prisoner and not her father.

Curses! What if this was just a big trap? Put together some video of her father, fake her into betraying the Cause, and then neat as a trick, let her walk straight into her own prison. Carly stopped. The guards eyed her.

"I think I left something in the car," she said.

The guards listened in their earpieces. "I'm told that this is your only opportunity. Walk away and we're done," said a guard.

Carly clenched her fist. They had her. She had to see this through. "Fine." They continued their march through the mysterious complex.

Finally, after what felt like a mile where she tried to remember all the turns but might get hopelessly lost if she had to run, they placed her in a room with a couple chairs and a table, a monitor that was off, and no other décor to speak of. A guard left her with a bottle of water. She hesitated before she opened the water, but again, she'd just have to trust them. If they really wanted her prisoner, they could have just gassed the SUV.

She sat there alone, rehearsing everything she'd say to her father, all the things she couldn't, all the things she'd be saving up for years, praying he was alive somewhere, somehow.

The door opened, and in walked a man, head down, shackled, unshaven.

"D-dad?" He sure had changed. He looked horrible, gaunt, barely recognizable, welts and bruises where she saw bare skin on his arms and neck. He looked at her, little recognition in his eyes.

"Carly?"

She rushed around the desk, grabbed the man by the shoulders. He studied her face. She drank in his eyes, her heart soaring, but as she went to put her arms around him, she stopped. No. This man, this man was wrong. The eyes—where was the fire? Her father was a fighter, a survivor. She remembered endless talks about being strong, about fighting no matter the odds. This man was a shell, a man with no heart, nothing left.

Carly grabbed him around the neck with her left and cocked her right. "What the hell is going on?" she yelled to the inevitable hidden camera. "I'll put my fist through his eye. I want my real father. Now!"

"I'm your father, I swear," said the man, unconvincing. Carly dug her super-strength fingers in his neck. "Help!" he cried. "Get this freakin' witch off of me!"

Carly released him and smiled. The door opened again, and guards yanked the bum out, shutting the door behind them. Silence. Carly sat back down in a chair, drawing figures in the table with her nails, trying to drown the fury of this trick. Who the hell did they think she was? Finally, the door clicked again, and in walked another man, this time not chained at all. Carly took one look at him and knew—it was Daddy, a little older, but still strong, still with those blazing eyes. She wanted to jump into his arms, but he held out his palm to stop her.

"Carly. They had to make sure. We don't have much time."

Her heart beat a mile a minute and a smile escaped her lips. "Dad, you're alive. I didn't believe it, I couldn't—

"Ssh. Keep it down. Now listen. I need you to ask to some things."

"Yeah, we're doing great, me and Mom, but we miss you so much—

He held out his hand again for quiet. He looked down. "I know. I wish I could be there. But we don't have time to reminisce. About your powers. What have you found so far? How have they manifested?"

Carly stepped close and held up her hands. "Flowers. I can control flowers. I know it doesn't sound great, but trust me, it can be put to use."

Dad looked confused. "Flowers? Carly, your powers—it's not about flowers."

"But—"

He waved her down again. "Here, sit." He offered her one of the chairs. She sat down, him in another. "You have special abilities."

"I know. I can heal people as well."

"Yes, but it's not just healing. You know our saying, 'cut off one head, two will take its place'?"

"Yeah?" Like that hadn't been pounded into her brain.

"Well, that's you."

"I don't get it."

Dad leaned close. Carly had a million billion questions, but they all seemed lame right now. Dad was intense. All she wanted to do was hug him, but she couldn't.

"You have the power to fix what's broken, to make things stronger, to…to raise an invincible army."

Carly scooted her seat back and stood. "What?"

"Carly, you are The Hydra. You cannot be killed, cannot be defeated, and when you get hurt, you only come back stronger than before. That's how we designed you. Not only that, you can do the same for everything within your touch."

_Designed you?_ Curses. Not good. Not good at all. Her power went far beyond her touch…and things wound up dead. Carly looked at her hands. "If that's true, then let me help you get out of here. I'll make both of us super strong and—"

"No, if you reveal your powers here, you'll never leave. They already suspect things. Don't worry about me. It's you who's important. Stay in the shadows. Try not to use your power unless you have to."

Carly searched his face. "I need to get you out of here."

"No. It's too dangerous. Just do what I say. Our time is up. Just stay strong."

Her throat got tight. "Wait, no. I just found you, I need to talk to you. I have so many things—"

The door already opened. Guards came in a grabbed Dad.

Carly reached out past the guards who blocked her path. "Dad! Please, don't leave me again." Tears crushed her eyes. "Dad! I love you!"

The door slammed shut, leaving Carly alone and colder than she'd ever felt in her life. S.H.I.E.L.D. was going to pay. They had no idea what she could do, how truly powerful she was. They would all pay. Down to the last man. She ran to the door and pounded with her fists, but something hissed and the room filled with gas. Carly got dizzy and then slipped to the floor.


	16. Chapter 16 - Epilogue

**A/N**: Thanks to everyone who stuck through this. Please, please if you like it, leave a review! If you didn't like it, tell me in a review or PM what I could do better. Also note that this is the first scene with a different Point-Of-View, a little Agents of SHIELD tie in.

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen**

Ian watched his daughter be carried back to the transport level, his heart a mix of pride, sadness, and cold fury. Pride that Project Hydra was apparently a success, sadness that he missed his daughter, her smile, her hugs and kisses. He still had a hand-drawn picture of hers on his desk. The fury was that he could never be with her again, that too much was at stake, that his life had taken him in this damn direction.

Agent Becky Jones entered the room and watched with him.

"The D.C. tree explosion. Do you think it was all her?" he asked.

"We found no evidence of any kind of device. Survivors say she was yelling something, but then it seemed like she was the one controlling it. But sir, how could—"

"And the Winter Soldier?"

"No trace of him."

He put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "No worries, we'll find him sooner or later. Nice work, by the way."

"Thanks, but sir, I think we may have a problem. Carly's dedicated to Hydra and all that, but I'm not sure she's as evil as you'd like. Or even as she'd like to think of herself. If someone betrayed me like I betrayed her, that person wouldn't be breathing."

Ian let his arm drift over her shoulders. Jones had been one of his best foot soldiers, and a bit more than that at times. "Don't worry about that. We'll get Larry on the case. He'll know what to do. He's got her trust."

Becky pushed away and looked up at him. "I don't think you understand. Carly has something you don't, something you'll never have, and it's really going to impede your progress. You see, unlike you, Quinn, Carly Richards has a conscience."

Ian smiled at her, the poor thing. "Don't you worry about that, it's actually in our favor. As long as she thinks my life is in jeopardy, she'll do whatever we want. And there's a lot we need her to do. We've just begun to turn her into the monster we envisioned." He took one last look at the monitor before flipping it off. "Hail Hydra."

"Hail Hydra."

* * *

**_Carly Richards: Teen Hydra Agent/Wild Flower will return!_**

* * *

Longerish notes:

So, another Carly episode is complete. What do we know at this point? Carly has powers perhaps equal to a superhero, but she's surrounded by people who want to use it for themselves. There's some power hidden inside of her, maybe like a mini-tesseract or something...we'll see at some point. And now we see that Becky betrayed her-or did she? Who the heck is everyone working for?

My plan going forward is to insert Carly to a few different Marvel worlds, the next one being the X-Men, but then Avengers and maybe some others. I'll probably only have time for one more story this year, so I promise it will be awesome.

Originally, I wanted her father to be John Garrett, but when they [SPOILER ALERT] liquefied him in the season finale, I had to choose someone else.

I might at some point change her father to someone else who'd be more appropriate. I've thought of Red Skull and some of the other Hydra characters, but I'd like someone more modern. I need a character who's heinous enough to use his daughter in an evil plot but still has enough feelings to make it hard.

Thanks for all the support!

-Iapetus999


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